Democrats are playing a dirty game.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is calling out Democrats for “playing politics with America’s defense,” as the government shutdown, now in its fifth day, continues to leave servicemembers and their families in limbo.
Hegseth, speaking on The Sunday Briefing, didn’t mince words. “We’re dealing with a Chuck Schumer special right now,” he said. “This is the vanity of one man who refuses to look weak to his base — and instead of passing a clean bill to fund our military, he’s trying to pile on $1.5 trillion in reckless spending.”
According to Hegseth, the Biden-era Democrats are putting politics before patriotism, risking the readiness of America’s armed forces while trying to force through massive new welfare spending.
🇺🇸 Hegseth: ‘End the Games — Fund Our Troops’
Hegseth warned that the effects of the shutdown could soon impact combat readiness and training across all branches of the military.
“You’ve got to pay for the stuff you’re doing,” he said. “Eventually, you stop paying people. You stop training. You’re less ready. You’re less capable of defending the nation.”
The Secretary said America’s soldiers are growing frustrated — not with their commanders, but with the politicians in Washington who refuse to act responsibly.
“Joining the military isn’t about getting rich,” he added. “But our troops still have families, mortgages, and bills to pay. When Democrats play dumb games on Capitol Hill, they hurt the men and women who protect this country every single day.”
💰 Democrats Blame Republicans — But Americans Aren’t Buying It
Despite Hegseth’s warnings, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and his allies are doubling down. As the clock struck midnight on Day One of the shutdown, Schumer fired off a partisan post on social media:
“It’s midnight, and the Republican-led shutdown has officially started because they refused to stand up for Americans’ health care. We’ll keep fighting to protect the people of this country.”
But conservatives say this is pure political theater. Democrats are holding the government hostage over Obamacare-era subsidies — massive taxpayer giveaways that would provide free healthcare benefits to illegal immigrants if extended beyond 2025.
Republicans argue that Democrats’ so-called “healthcare protections” are nothing more than a billion-dollar bailout for failed liberal policies.
⚖️ Republicans Push Back: ‘Fiscal Sanity, Not Socialist Spending’
Under President Trump’s America First approach, Republicans have fought to restore fiscal discipline — trimming bloated programs and redirecting funds toward defense, border security, and veterans.
But Democrats’ latest proposal would reverse those gains, keeping government on autopilot through October while undoing GOP-led cuts to Medicaid.
“The American people are tired of Washington’s games,” one senior Trump ally said. “They want leadership, not liberal wish lists. Democrats are gambling with our troops’ paychecks to score political points.”
🪖 Hegseth: ‘We’ll Keep the Warrior Ethos Alive’
Despite the funding crisis, Hegseth vowed that the military will keep defending the homeland. “We’ll fight through it,” he said. “Our warrior ethos doesn’t depend on politicians. But the American people need to know who’s to blame when the troops stop getting paid — and it’s not us.”
He closed with a sharp rebuke of Democrat leadership:
“Fund it. End it. Let our troops get back to what they do best — defending the nation.”
